In a Beat of a Butterfree's Wing
by YaGalCassi
Summary: If just one simple change can alter the future in myriads of unforeseeable ways, a larger adjustment must lead to a temporal tsunami. Especially when change comes in the death of Kanto's youngest and greatest champion, two years before he ever touched a Poké Ball. A boulder in a once still lake. Fate's floodgates are open, and the downpour threatens to wash everything away.
1. Divergence

Blue readjusted the positioning of his backpack and brushed a few loose strands of hair back into place. It was winter and the frost was beginning to settle over the ground. He glanced over his shoulder. Red was still following, a few paces behind, that Poké Ball hat he always wore bobbing on his head.

The two weren't friends. They never had been. Rivals was the most accurate description, though Blue didn't consider Red up to his standards. He would usually try to keep away from him, unless there was some competition going on or they were forced together. The second option happened all too often, as they lived across the street from one another and his Gramps was friends with Red's mother.

Daisy had taken a liking to Red too. She'd treated him almost as a second brother ever since they were little. Blue stuffed his hands in his pockets. Although he'd never admit it, he got kinda jealous when her full attention wasn't on him.

"Daisy?" Blue said.

She turned to him. "What?"

"When do I get to be a Pokémon Trainer like you?"

Daisy laughed. "You ask me this every day, Blue. You know Gramps'll give you a Pokédex and a Pokémon when you turn sixteen."

"I know… but that's a two whole years away! Why can't he just give them to me now?"

Daisy was about to give the answer she always did, about how he was too young to look after a Pokémon properly, let alone become a trainer, when something caught her eye. "What's that?" she said.

Blue spun round. A greenish radiance hovered above the path, shedding light into the dark corners of the houses. It grew, twisting and spiralling into a luminous orb and a man fell from it. Well, his hat fell first. A yellow cap that buried itself in the snow with a puff of frost. The man picked it up, brushed off the snowflakes and pulled it onto his head, his black hair pushing out from below it.

He turned back to the light. "So it did work…" he said, then louder, "Well? Aren't you coming through?"

A Pokémon fluttered through the light. At first, Blue didn't notice it, as its body was the same colour as the glow, but the cyan eyes were quite striking. He heard Daisy gasp. Did she recognise it?

"Thank you," the man said. He took a Poké Ball from his pocket and pointed it in Red's direction. "And it seems," he said, "you brought me to the correct place as well."

Red just stared at him. He was never the most talkative.

The man pushed the button on his Poké Ball, letting the Pokémon within spill out. It was taller than Daisy—or even, Blue suspected, his Gramps. Cream coloured fur spread across its front and navy along the back. Fire burst around its neck, dancing and crackling in a shimmering collar.

The man met Red's eyes. "I'm sorry about this," he said. "I truly am. But it must be done. Typhlosion, Slash."

The fire Pokémon leapt forward and Blue didn't see any more, because Daisy ran in front of him, towards it.

"No!" she shouted.

The Pokémon stepped back into Blue's line of vision, its fur splattered crimson red. It took him a moment to register what that meant, and by that point the Pokémon was back in its ball and the man was gone the same way he came.

Red laid against the wall of a house, his hat upturned in the ice by the side of the pathway. Daisy was cradling him in her arms, and jealous was the last thing Blue felt. He knelt beside her.

She had taken off her jacket and wrapped it across Red's chest, but that wasn't why she was shivering. "Come on, Red, come on," she was saying. "Hold on, please! Remember how Professor Oak said he'd get you a Pokémon? That Bulbasaur you wanted?"

Red's eyes flickered. "I- I-"

Daisy was rooting through her bag, presumably for her Poké Gear. "No," she said, "don't try to talk. You'll be fine. Everything'll be fine."

Daisy pushed in a name and held the device to her ear in shaking hands. "Just breathe, Red. Just breathe. Eyes open, that's it."

She began talking to whoever she had called. "Hello? This is Daisy Oak. Please, put me through to the hospital, I've no time to explain."

"Red?" Blue said. "You're gonna be okay, all right? 'Cause if you're not-" He swallowed. Couldn't let his voice crack. "'Cause if you're not, who's gonna be my rival, huh? Who am I gonna battle against as— as a warm up for my gym battles?"

A faint smile formed on Red's face. "N-not if… I beat 'em first."

"Yeah? Well, even if you do I-I'll be first to the champions seat. I'm gonna need you to be my first victory!"

Red's smile began to fade. "S-Sorry…"

His eyes closed.

Blue grabbed his shoulders. "Red? Red! Wake up!"

Daisy lowered her Poké Gear. "Red? Oh, Mew… No… No! Red!?" She wrapped her arms around him, rocking back and forth and sobbing.

Blue stood up and took a few paces back. Red couldn't be… he couldn't really be… They had never really been on good terms, but Red had always been there. It had always been the two of them, fighting and arguing, sure, but…

The drone of a siren cut through the air. An ambulance. Two doctors clambered out, carrying a stretcher. One ran over when he saw Daisy. He disentangled her from Red, pressing a hand against his neck. He turned back to the other and shook his head.

No. No. Blue had seen enough movies to know what that meant. They lifted Red onto the stretcher and loaded it into the ambulance, but Blue knew they weren't gonna be able to help him. Daisy hugged him, shaking and crying, but Blue barely noticed. What had just happened?

Daisy scooped Red's hat from the ice and pressed it against her chest. She grabbed Blue's hand. "C'mon, Blue," she said, her voice quaking, "We— we can't just stand out here in the cold. Let's go home."

She led him through the frost covered road, not saying a word. A trail of glistening tears spotted the ground behind her.

That man… he had appeared from nowhere, and disappeared right after ki… after doing what he did. Why? Red… he wasn't anyone super important. Not like Lance or Steven Stone or even Blue's Gramps. Who would want to… to do that to him?

Daisy pushed through the door into their house. Gramps was sat at the dinner table in the centre of the room. He turned as they entered. "Ah, Blue and Daisy." He frowned. "Daisy?"

She rubbed the tears from her eyes and sat down hard on one of the chairs. "Gramps! I- Oh, it was horrible…"

Gramps stepped over to her, kneeling to meet her eyes. "What happened?"

Daisy clutched the edges of her chair, attempting to speak through the sobs. "R-Red he… I mean… Oh, Mew, he's actually dead! He- he-" She burst into tears again.

Gramps wrapped his arms around her, staring over her shoulder at Blue, who was still leant against the doorframe. He didn't want to have to do the explaining.

"Red?" he said. "What do you mean?"

Daisy detached herself from her grandfather and took a few breaths. "S-sorry. It all happened so fast. This man sort of… appears from nowhere. He had a Typhlosion. I-I couldn't do anything, he just told it to attack and- and-" She stifled another sob. "By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late."

"Daisy…" Gramps said, after a few moments of silence. "You of all people shouldn't have to deal with something like this."

Daisy glanced at Blue. "Hey," she said. "Wh-Why don't you go up to bed. Me and Gramps, we'll-"

"Talk about me while I'm not around to hear?" Daisy's silence told Blue all he needed to know. "I'm not going! I'm not a little kid this time."

Gramps sighed. "I know how you must be feeling, Blue, but—"

"I'm not old enough to understand? 'Cause I get exactly what's happened. Red's gone, just like mum and dad." Blue didn't know why he was being so aggressive. In the emotional turmoil, anger seemed to be coming out on top. He stepped over to the door. "I'm going to… out."

Daisy sat up straight, fixing her eyes on him. "No!" she said. "Please, don't."

Blue hesitated. Without a word, he turned and went upstairs. But not quite so far that he couldn't hear what was going on below.

Daisy gave a relieved sigh and sunk into her chair.

"That boy…" Gramps said. Blue scowled. He hadn't done anything wrong.

Daisy shook her head. "This… it's how he deals with it. He doesn't like showing 'weakness', as he'd probably put it. Just leave him. He'll work through it in time."

The two were quiet for a while. Blue was contemplating returning to his room, but then Gramps said, "Have you spoken to Red's mother?"

"No," Daisy said. "I assume the hospital will have… informed her."

"I should probably go visit. See if everything's okay."

Blue heard footsteps, then the squeaking of the door handle. "The Celadon trip we had planned for the school holidays…" Gramps said. "I'll see if I can move it forward a little. I'll invite Delia too. She'll probably want to get away from everything for a while."

Daisy took a shaky breath and stood up. "I'm going to get some sleep," she said. "Goodnight, Gramps."

"Yes. Goodnight."

Blue stood up and crept into his room. How could they be acting so calm about this? He brushed away a tear that escaped his eye. There was no way he was gonna be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

Clouds clung in wisps to the peaks of the mountain range that separated Pewter from Celadon. The rail tracks wound their way through like a sleeping Ekans, twisting up and down through the slopes.

Blue stared vacantly out the window. Daisy wasn't talking. Red's mum wasn't talking. Gramps wasn't talking. The sombre atmosphere was starting to get to him.

A screech resonated from the tracks as the train ground to a halt. Blue heard Daisy stand up beside him. "Blue?" she said. "We're here."

He nodded and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Yeah."

The four of them stepped out into the city, the twilight air brushing against them. Blue shivered, but his coat was stuffed in his bag and he didn't want to bother taking it out. Their hotel couldn't be that far away.

The silence continued all day. When bedtime came, and still nobody would speak to him, Blue decided enough was enough. They couldn't all just sit around acting sad. That man had come out of nowhere and ki— and Blue wanted… needed answers. If nobody else was doing anything about it, this was up to him.

Blue pushed himself out of bed, picked up his backpack and crept over to the door. After a gentle tug to get it open as quietly as possible, and a few silent seconds to make sure nobody heard the creaking, he snuck across the hallway and into his grandfather's room.

A brown satchel bag lay on the floor by a set of slightly cracked hotel drawers. Perfect. Gramps always kept some Poké Balls on him, in case he needed them. Right now, Blue definitely needed them. He grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his pocket. That should be enough.

Blue left the room and shut the door behind him. Now to— Blue froze. Footsteps. Someone—from the sound, probably Daisy—was coming up the stairs. Blue rushed over to his room, grabbing the door handle.

"Blue?"

Too Slow. "Y-Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I… had to go to the bathroom." Blue pushed against the door, hoping she wouldn't notice the straps of his backpack behind his shoulders.

Daisy rubbed her eyes. "Right. Well, I'm off to bed now. Night."

"See you tomorrow." Blue spun into his room and leant against the door. He felt his pocket, making sure the Poké Balls were still there. Good. If everything went to plan, he wouldn't be seeing her tomorrow.

After waiting a while to make sure Daisy was asleep, Blue slunk back into the corridor. He took the stairs one at a time, keeping creaks to a minimum, and walked slowly past his sleeping Gramps. Blue stepped through the door, down the hotel corridor and out—through the fortunately alarm-free fire exit to avoid the receptionist—into the night. He looked up and down the row of streetlights and realised that he didn't exactly know where to start.

Celadon in the winter was a little colder than Blue had expected, and the stoneish clouds massing in the sky threatened rain. He frowned. Might as well just go forward. The underground path on Route 7 would be safe in case a storm broke, at least.

* * *

Blue sat huddled behind the door on the Route 8 side of the underground path. The rain had begun just as he reached Route 7, and despite the fact that it was good hour later, the downpour was still going.

A gust of wind sprayed a shower of raindrops into the stone building, some of which impacted Blue's face and clothes. He shivered, wiped his hair dry and glanced back down the tunnel. Maybe he shouldn't have just run away like this. Gramps always said that going out alone was dangerous, after all.

Blue pulled one of the Poké Balls from his pocket and activated it. Then again… that man was still out there. Who knew how many other people were at risk? Blue was the only one who had seen him other than Daisy, and she hadn't battled in years. He couldn't just back out now.

The screeching of tires sounded from Route 8. Blue jumped up, just in time to see a black van with tinted windows speed down the road and through the gate into Saffron. He stared after it. Where was it going this late at night? And why so fast?

Blue was about to brush it off as unimportant and go back to waiting for the storm to clear, when he heard something else. An anguished yelp followed by the patter of tiny footsteps. Blue stepped out into the rain and squinted at the pathway from Lavender Town. Something was approaching him. It was small—about knee height. It's head was white. Or… was that a mask? It clutched a pale stick of some sort, dragging it along the ground behind it.

Blue wished his Gramps was further along with the Pokédex he was working on. Whatever this was, Blue didn't know it. "Hey," he said.

The Pokémon turned to him and gave a wary sort of coo.

Blue smiled. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Blue noticed that the Pokémon seemed to be leaning on the stick—on closer inspection it seemed more like a bone—it was carrying. "Are you all right?" he asked. Blue recognised it now. A Cubone. But weren't they supposed to live in caves?

The Pokémon stumbled, crying out, and fell forwards. Blue leapt, catching it before it could hit the ground. "Hey! Are you hurt?"

"Cuu…" It's voice was weak.

Blue jumped to his feet. "I-It's okay, you'll be fine. I'm gonna get you to a Pokémon centre."

The rain no longer even registering, Blue set off running towards Lavender Town. He had to save this Pokémon. He couldn't let it die while he just stood there and watched. Not again.

Blue's foot caught something lying in the road and he tripped, rolling forward. He clutched Cubone in his arms, trying his best to shield it from the impact. When he finally stopped moving, Blue placed the Pokémon on the ground in front of him and pushed himself to his feet. "Sorry," he said. "I—" but then he noticed what he had tripped over.

It was hard to make out through the rain and the dark, but in the middle of the road was the still form of a Marowak. Cubone watched it mournfully. Was that it's mother? Blue placed his hand on Cubone's head. "I'm sorry," he said. "Did… did Marowak get hit by that truck?"

Cubone shook its head and trailed its bone along the ground. It held it up to Blue. The end was covered in purple gunk. A telltale sign of some kind of poison attack. Blue's eyes widened. "The people in that van did this on purpose?"

Cubone nodded.

Blue didn't know whether it was Marowak or Red or the rain or the cold or the fact that it was almost 3:00 in the morning, but something snapped and he just couldn't take it anymore. He buried his face in his arms and began to cry.

Blue wasn't quite sure how long it lasted, and by the end he was still tired and still scared, but he was also a lot more ready to deal with that. It had stopped raining as well.

He tried to stand, but realised that, at some point, Cubone had sat itself in his lap and seemed to have been crying along with him. Blue rubbed the tear streaks off of the Pokémon's mask. "I-I'm better now… I think," he said. "Thank you." He lifted Cubone into his arms and stood again. "Hey, Cubone?"

"Cuu?"

"The people who did this… They might be strong enough to do stuff like this, but that just means we gotta be stronger. My friend Red got killed too. I'm here 'cause I wanna know why. So, what I'm really asking is…" Blue pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket. "Wanna come along with me? I need to get stronger if I'm gonna stand up to these people. And I think you could really help me."

After only a couple of seconds for consideration, Cubone pressed its bone against the ball, disappearing in a flash of white light. The ball shook once, twice, then clicked.

Blue grinned. "All right!" He opened the Poké Ball, materialising Cubone on the road. "It's you and me now," he said. "We'll be the strongest team in the world. Stronger than even the Pokémon League Champion! Now let's find that Pokémon Centre."


	2. Alone

After around fifteen minutes at a brisk walk, Blue came to the gate of Lavender Town. He glanced down at Cubone. "Here it is. There should be a Pokémon Centre just through here."

Cubone planted its bone on the ground, keeping itself upright.

Blue knelt beside it. "You can go back into your Poké Ball, y'know."

Cubone shook its head.

"You sure?"

"Cu."

Blue shrugged. "Alright. Let's go, then." He stepped onto the indigo asphalt that covered the majority of Lavender Town. It had dried a lot faster than the grass, and Blue was grateful that his feet were no longer being soaked by damp blades.

A few metres away, to the right, the windows of the red roofed Pokémon Centre glowed a warm yellow. Perfect. Blue just had to hope the nurse wouldn't ask for a trainer card or Pokédex. "There it is," he said. "You're gonna have to go back in your ball now, 'cause-"

A shout from behind cut Blue off. "Hey!"

He turned. An old man with no hair and large eyebrows was running towards him. What was he doing out this late?—or early, depending on the perspective. "Who are you?" Blue asked.

"My name is Mr. Fuji," the man said, but he seemed to be speaking more to Cubone than to Blue.

"Look," Blue said. "If you need something, ask me quick, 'cause I need to get my Cubone to the Pokémon Centre."

Mr. Fuji met Blue's eyes. He squinted in a way that might have just been due to the darkness, but struck Blue more as suspicion. "Where did you find this Cubone?"

Blue stepped between Cubone and Mr. Fuji. "Just outside of town," he said. "Why? You know it?"

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Yes. Do you mind coming with me a moment?"

Blue crossed his arms. "Didn't you hear me? Cubone needs treating. I'm not going anywhere except in there." He gestured to the Pokémon Centre.

Mr. Fuji frowned. "I'm something of an expert regarding Pokémon. I'm sure I'll be able to help."

Blue sighed. He supposed it couldn't hurt to see what this guy was after. If he tried anything, Blue wouldn't have a hard time overpowering him. "Fine."

"Good. Follow me."

Blue scooped Cubone into his arms, and Mr. Fuji lead him across the street towards a large, purple house. Light shone from behind curtained windows. A sign beside it read 'Pokémon House. Volunteers Welcome'.

Blue stopped, leaning under the crackling flame of a street lamp. The metal was damp and cold, but Blue's adrenaline was wearing off so he decided he was too tired to care. "This the place?" he asked.

Mr. Fuji turned around. "Yes. I live here, but it is also a rescue centre for injured or abandoned Pokémon. Come inside."

Blue stepped through the door and set Cubone down on a sofa covered by a plastic sheet. He took off his bag and leant it against the door. It was 3:00 in the morning and he was soaked through, but he forced his eyes to stay open. "Before I answer any questions, you're gonna help Cubone. Otherwise I'm going straight to the Pokémon Centre."

Mr. Fuji motioned to pick Cubone up, but it swatted his hands away with its bone. "What are you doing?" Blue demanded. Cubone glared at the man, echoing the same question.

"I was trying to put Cubone into a proper nest where it can sleep better. I apologise for not warning you."

Blue lifted Cubone from the sofa. "Nest?"

Mr. Fuji gestured to a circular mound of straw in the corner of the house. A couple of other Pokémon lay nestled in similar mounds beside it.

Blue met Cubone's eyes. "You okay with that?"

The Pokémon gave a contented cooing that Blue interpreted as a yes. He crouched beside the nest and set it down. Cubone crawled into the straw, burying its body until all that was visible was the white mask sticking from the structure. The Pokémon hadn't let go of its bone and held it against its chest like Blue remembered Daisy doing with her old stuffed Clefairy. He sighed. His bedroom back in Pallet Town seemed a long way away.

Mr. Fuji grabbed a Super Potion from the shelf and handed it to Blue. He sprayed it against Cubone's forehead, inciting an indignant huff and a quick retreat deeper into the straw. "Cold?" Blue asked. What he could see of Cubone's head nodded in agreement.

Blue turned to Mr. Fuji. "It'll be okay, right?"

The man nodded. "It's just exhausted."

Blue felt a smile pull at his face. "Right. So what did you want to say to me?"

"Just that you might want to reconsider your decision to capture that specific Cubone."

The smile faded. Blue wasn't likely to let this old guy take Cubone from him. "Why would I do that?"

"That particular Cubone had taken residence in the Pokémon Tower with its mother. It has a general dislike for people, and hardly ever leaves its home."

Blue glanced at his Pokémon. "Are you sure we're thinking of the same Cubone?"

Mr. Fuji sat on one of the plastic-covered sofas, watching Cubone in the straw. "Around the time you met Cubone, did you see a large, black van?" he asked.

Blue eyed Mr. Fuji. How did he know about that? "Yeah I did. Why?"

"For a few months now, Lavender Town has been experiencing issues around a group of criminals called Team Rocket. They poach and steal Pokémon from Route 12, the Rock Tunnel… even the Pokémon Tower itself. Recently, Cubone's mother has begun chasing after these criminals, attempting to free the captured Pokémon. If you found this Cubone on Route 8, it's likely that it was following its mother."

Cubone spun around in the nest, pushing its head out of the straw pile. It seemed tired, so Blue resisted the urge to pet it. "And you want me to release Cubone so it can go back to its home in the Pokémon Tower," he said.

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Blue stood up. "And Cubone's mother would be… Marowak."

"That's right."

Blue fought back a few tears. "Marowak… Marowak is dead."

"What?"

"I found the body out on Route 8. It had been attacked by some kind of poison type Pokémon."

Mr Fuji sighed. "That can only have been Team Rocket. So you found Cubone and decided to take it in?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I misjudged you. Many trainers simply don't look after their Pokémon properly." Mr. Fuji gestured to the nest beside Cubone. "For instance, this Charmander was left to die because it's trainer didn't consider it strong enough."

"That's horrible."

"Quite. I assumed you were just another trainer after a rare catch." Mr. Fuji stood up and opened the door to another room. "If you don't want to bother waking Cubone to carry it to the Pokémon Centre tonight, you can use the spare room I keep for my volunteers to sleep in when they're taking care of a Pokémon overnight."

Blue nodded. "Thank you."

"Just out interest, what's your name?" Mr. Fuji asked.

Blue looked up. He didn't want to say anything that Daisy or Gramps could use to find him. But, just his name couldn't hurt. "Blue," he said. "I'm a Pokémon trainer."

"You don't look sixteen."

He shrugged. "Everyone says that. Makes buying Poké Balls a real pain."

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"Morning, Blue!" Daisy said, pushing open the door to her brother's room. "Or rather, afternoon. It's 12:00!"

Blue didn't respond. Not even to tell her to stop bothering him. "Blue?"

Daisy stepped over to his bed. It was empty. It didn't even look slept in. Daisy felt a cold fear in the pit of her stomach. She shot the prospect down. No. No, he must have managed to get up without her noticing.

Daisy ran downstairs and threw open the kitchen door. Nothing. Garden? Nothing. Blue's bedroom again—just to make sure. Nothing.

"Gramps?" Daisy said, failing to conceal the rising heat of terror in her voice.

Her grandfather emerged from the living room. "Daisy? What is it?"

Daisy clenched a fist. Her nails dug into her skin, but it was the only thing she could do to keep her voice somewhat steady. "I-I can't find Blue. Have you seen him?"

"Not since yesterday."

Daisy's panic reached a boiling point as she scrambled to recall the last time she had seen Blue. He had been standing by the door to his room, and… and she hadn't really registered it before, but there had been a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Daisy stepped over to the door, fighting to contain the mixture of fear and frustration bubbling within her.

"Daisy?" Gramps said. "Where are you going?"

"To-to look for Blue. I think he's run away."

Daisy pushed her way outside before Gramps had a chance to stop her. She'd go to the police. Blue couldn't have gotten far in one night. She ran through the city, not stopping until she reached the police station.

Daisy stepped up to front desk. "Please," she said, "you've got to help me!"

The receptionist looked up. "What is it?"

"My brother, Blue. He's disappeared."

The receptionist faltered for a moment, then nodded. "I'll file a report. Can I get a description?"

"He's fourteen years old. Brownish hair. Brown eyes. Probably carrying a backpack."

"Right. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"A-A few days ago, a friend of his was murdered. He… he might be trying to find the culprit."

"A murder? That was reported, right?"

"I tried. Not that- not that anyone believed a word I-I said." Daisy felt the emotion rise in her again. Fear, anger, everything just welling up. She pushed her face into her arms and did her best to hold back a sob.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" The receptionist asked.

Daisy forced herself to meet his eyes. "Y-Yeah. It's just…"

She was cut off when the door swung open. "Daisy!"

She turned. It was Gramps. Daisy crossed her arms and fixed him with a cold glare. "What."

"Please, just calm down," he said. "Are you absolutely sure that Blue has run away?"

"Yes!" Daisy said. Of course she was. Why wouldn't anyone take her seriously?

"And you've reported it?"

"Yes. I'm not completely useless."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Please. Calm down."

"Nothing to worry about?" Daisy repeated. "There's a murderer out there!"

Gramps watched her, a concerned expression on his face. "Yes. You've said."

"I saw it, Gramps. Right in front of me! Why can't you just believe me?"

Gramps put an arm around Daisy's shoulder, and she resisted the urge to throw him off. "Daisy. Celebi is a myth. If a Pokémon with that kind of power truly existed, we would have seen it by now."

"I know what I saw."

"And it must have been rather traumatic for you. But pretending like there's some murderer out there for you to seek revenge on isn't going to-"

"I am not crazy! Gramps, I… I…" Daisy felt the tears begin to flow again, and she couldn't do anything to stop them. Nobody believed her. She was right! She knew she was, but nobody believed her. And now Blue was in danger.

"I- I can't just sit here and do nothing." Daisy stood. "I'm going to look for him."

"No. The police will do a much better job than you could."

"…Fine. Fine. But if Blue isn't back by tomorrow, I'm going. And there's nothing you can do to change my mind."

* * *

Blue awoke to the sharp sound of a siren. For a couple of seconds, he wasn't completely sure where he was. Then it all came rushing back. Cubone, Marowak… Red. Blue sighed. Running away to find the truth behind his death had sounded like a brilliant idea the night before. Now... now he was just tired. Tired and completely alone.

The door to Blue's room slowly opened, and Cubone stepped through. "Cuu?" it said.

A smile broke onto Blue's face. Maybe not completely. He lifted it up. "Hey. You doing all right now?"

Cubone rubbed its face against his. "Cuu!"

Blue laughed. "Y'know… I was thinking maybe… maybe striking out on my own wasn't such a good idea. We could-"

Blue's train of thought derailed as the siren cut out and a knock came at the door. He froze. What were the police doing at a rescue centre? Was Mr. Fuji some kind of criminal?

Blue recalled Cubone, picked up his backpack and edged towards the side window. He heard the door swing open.

"Hello?" Mr. Fuji said.

"Hello. We're investigating the whereabouts of a missing person. Somebody at the Pokémon Centre saw you conversing with a boy matching his description last night."

Blue froze. He should have anticipated this. Stupid. Of course Daisy or Gramps would report him missing. He pulled the backpack over his shoulder and slid the window open.

"That boy…" Mr. Fuji said. "Is his name Blue?"

"Yes, that's the one. Do you know where he is?"

Blue pushed his hands against the windowsill, preparing to jump, but something made him hesitate. Would being found by the police really be such a bad idea? He hadn't done anything illegal. They'd just escort him home and things would be all over.

"Yes, he's just in here," Mr. Fuji said.

Blue's instincts took over and he vaulted out of the building. After scrambling on the gravel which had been a little closer than anticipated, he took off down the road. It took a moment for his brain to catch up and realise why it wanted to get away so much.

Sure, Blue would be home again, but would things just go back to normal? Gramps would be mad at him for running away and stealing Poké Balls, and Daisy… would she be able to forgive him for just disappearing like that? Especially so soon after Red.

No. Better to just stay away. Blue would avenge Red's death, then go home. No way his family would let him chase after the murderer if he went back. This was the only way.

After running for around ten minutes, Blue finally slowed. He was coming out of Lavender Town. That should be far enough to avoid the police who were no doubt looking for him there.

The sign by the end of the road read 'Silence Bridge' and the name seemed pretty accurate. The only people around were a few fisherman sat by their lines on the damp wooden structure. It seemed a safe enough place to rest.

Blue walked a few feet across until he was just behind the tree line. He fished Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket and released it.

Cubone materialised on the slightly wet undergrowth. It glanced at the sea stretching out to the west, then threw Blue a quizzical head tilt. "Cuu?"

"Sorry," he said. "We had to get outta there quickly. We should be safe here if you wanna sleep for a while."

Cubone shook its head, waving its bone in the air. "Cuu!"

Blue pushed down a smile. Cubone seemed so serious, but it was too cute for any kind of intimidation. "What do you mean?"

Cubone stepped over to him and began poking at his ankles. "Cuu! Cuu!"

"You… want us to hurry up and go after Team Rocket?"

Cubone nodded vehemently.

Blue stood up. "Well first of all, the two of us are gonna have to do some training. As much as I hate to admit it, Team Rocket'd wipe the floor with us as we are now."

Cubone lowered its bone, deflated. "Cuu."

"If I've got my geography straight, I think there's a gym in Vermillion, north of here. I say we take that on first."

Cubone nodded.

"Do you wanna go back in your Poké Ball or walk along with me?"

Cubone gestured to the ball.

"Yeah, that's fair. Come on then." Blue recalled Cubone again and turned back to the bridge. Time to test his skills.


	3. Struggle

Blue stepped through the automatic doors of the Viridian City Gym. He advanced through the room, taking in the walls covered in peeling yellow paint; the slight tang of metal that hung in the air and the fact that his already spiky hair seemed to be standing a little taller than usual, yet keeping his eyes fixed on the man at the end of the room. Lt. Surge.

Surge was easily one of the more famous Gym Leaders in Kanto. He was a veteran of some war that the region had been involved in years back, and with his military-style green outfit and sunglasses that probably looked cool ten years ago, he was really acting the part.

As Blue approached, Surge pulled the glasses down on his nose, and stared at him with striking eyes and an almost patronising smirk. "A kid? You've got nerve if you're planning on challenging me here."

Blue grinned back. "Nerve and skill. You're gonna be my first victory."

"A newcomer, huh?" Surge gave a gravelly laugh. "I guess I'll just have to teach you how hard battling can be. Standard rules. I use one Pokémon, you get as many as you like. No healing items or battle items. Whoever runs out of Pokémon first loses. You ready, kid?"

Blue fished Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket and held it out in front of him. "Yeah."

Surge stepped onto one side of a chalk battlefield, dust spiralling around his boots. "Good. 'Cause I'm not holding back."

Surge tossed a Poké Ball onto the field. When the light faded, a small, yellow Pokémon stood on the field, it's cheeks cracking with electricity. A Pikachu.

It looked almost cute, but the sharp teeth and the low growl emanating from its mouth stopped Blue using that description. He grinned. Still. This was going to be a pushover. Blue threw Cubone's Poké Ball opposite it and his Pokémon emerged.

Surge laughed. "Oh, a ground type. 'Course. Just remember that electricity ain't my only trick. You take the first move."

"Cubone?" Blue said. "Let's finish this before it begins! Bone Club!"

Cubone leapt forward, slamming its club toward Pikachu's head. The attack connected, but Pikachu didn't flinch. The bone passed straight through it, and the Pokémon vanished in a shimmer of white light. Cubone looked around. The arena was populated by an impossible number of identical Pikachu.

"Y-you didn't even command it!" Blue protested.

Surge pulled down his sunglasses, staring directly at Blue. "Yeah? A good trainer trusts their partners to use their own intuition sometimes. That's the only way to survive on the battlefield."

Cubone slowly turned around and around in a futile attempt to watch each and every Pikachu. Blue forced down the panic that threatened to rise within him. "Cubone! Bone Club again! Find the real one!"

Cubone began frantically swinging at the various illusions, desperately searching for the one it could actually hit.

"Pikachu," Surge said, with a voice that Blue wished he could wring the arrogant calmness out of, "Quick Attack."

All the duplicates lunged in unison, converging on Cubone. The ground type reacted fast, but not quite fast enough. It swung its bone, but only glanced Pikachu's side. The attack connected and Cubone was thrown back, skidding into the dust, but as it tumbled, it lodged its bone in the ground, pulling itself up.

Cubone's glancing blow had managed to push Pikachu off balance. The electric Pokémon sprawled onto the ground. Yes!

"Now, Cubone!" Blue shouted. "Hit it!"

But Cubone stood still. It glanced back at Blue, with a look that might have been offence. It waited for Pikachu to regain its footing before running in for another strike.

"That Pokémon's got honour," Surge said. "How well do you really know your partner?"

Blue clenched a fist, dredging the frustration out of his voice. "Cubone! Bone Club! Finish this!"

Cubone lunged, hitting only air as Pikachu leapt over it. With a quick strike from behind, Pikachu knocked Cubone to the ground.

"Cubone?" Blue yelled. "Get up, Cubone!"

It couldn't be down already. They were stronger than that. They had to be stronger than that.

Surge recalled Pikachu. "Sorry kid. A loss is a loss. Better luck next time."

Blue silently recalled Cubone, then stepped outside, avoiding what must have been a smug expression on Surge's face. He made a swift walk to the Pokémon Centre, simultaneously wanting to run and not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"Hi!" The nurse said, as he entered.

Blue set his Poké Ball on the desk. "Hey."

The nurse placed it in a silver tray atop an equally silver table behind her. "Here from the Gym?" she asked.

The tray was wheeled into another room by a pink Pokémon—a Chansey?—who gave what Blue assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile. It didn't help. Blue focused on the nurse, realising that he should probably answer her question. "Yeah."

She nodded. "Pretty tough, huh?"

Blue turned away. He was grateful for the lack of other people in the Pokémon Centre. This wasn't exactly how he had envisioned his first Gym Battle going. "Just heal my Cubone."

"Don't worry, you'll get it eventually," the nurse said. "Cubone'll be much better by tomorrow. Until then, would you like to check in a room?"

The sky was a dull shade of grey that had made it difficult to work out what time it was, but the digital clock above the entrance read 4:36. It wasn't like Blue had anything else to do with his time. "… Sure."

"Right!" This nurse was about ten times more cheerful than Blue was comfortable with. "I'll just need your Pokédex."

Blue froze. Of course. He didn't have any ID. He spun around, meeting her eyes. "I- I dropped it in the sea over on Route 12. I'm coming this way to get a new one in Saffron."

The nurse's ever professional smile faltered slightly. "Oh. Well, you have a Pokémon, so you're definitely a trainer. It's not exactly procedural, but I can write you into the books directly. What's your name?"

"Bl-" Blue stopped. That was how the police found him the last time. Better to come up with some kind of pseudonym. "Uh-Gary."

The nurse began tapping on a sleek white and red tablet. "Gary?"

"Oak." Blue figured just a last name wouldn't be enough to track him.

The nurse slid the tablet away and handed him a plastic key card. "Room two."

"Thanks."

Blue took the card and stepped down the corridor to room two. It was your regular hotel affair. Very beige. Not exactly Blue's kind of decor, but still better than being outside. He lay back on the bed. There was nothing he could do but wait.

What Surge had said during their match began to drift back through Blue's half consciousness. Maybe there was more to battling than he had thought.

* * *

"Come on, Cubone!" Blue said.

The small Pokémon was sat in the grass, facing away from him, with its bone lying in front of it and its arms crossed.

"You can't ignore me forever, y'know. Just tell me what's wrong!"

Cubone shook its head.

Blue knelt down beside it. "Is this... Is this about our battle yesterday?"

"Cu." A response. Finally.

Blue guessed that meant he was right. "Look," he said, crossing his arms. "How was I to know you wouldn't wanna hit Pikachu while it was down?"

The Pokémon glanced at Blue before turning away again. "Cuu."

From what Blue had heard of its mother, it made sense that this Cubone had ended up so moralistic. That didn't mean he agreed at all. "Maybe… maybe I was wrong, but that doesn't mean you were right!" Blue said. "If we're gonna stand a chance against Team Rocket, we're gonna have to hit them while they're down. 'Cause they'd do exactly the same to us."

Silence. Blue pulled out Cubone's Poké Ball and set it down on the grass. "Look. If you're not gonna train with me, I might as well release you here and now. We're not gonna get anything done just sitting here!"

Cubone gave a reluctant sigh, then grabbed its bone and pushed itself to its feet.

Blue retrieved the Poké Ball. "Thanks. Now. Let's find someone we can beat."

* * *

It didn't take long for Blue to hunt down some random picnicker who'd agree to battle him. After all, a fourteen year old kid didn't look all that tough. Theoretically, he was easy money. Of course, Blue didn't exactly have money on him, but they didn't have to know that.

"I'll let you go first," the girl—Isabelle, she had said—offered.

Blue smiled. "You'll regret that." He tossed Cubone's Poké Ball into the makeshift battlefield. It had taken quite a while for the two of them to find somewhere not smothered by trees or waist high grass.

Isabelle watched his Pokémon emerge. "This'll be easy," she said. "Go, Pidgey!"

Blue wondered why she was so sure that a Pidgey—probably little more than fresh from the wild—would be able to top his Cubone. As a flying and normal type, it didn't even have a type advantage like a grass or water Pokémon would. The two Pokémon faced each other, Pidgey hovering a foot or so in the air. It probably thought it was safe.

"Jump for it, Cubone!" Blue said. "Bone Club!"

Cubone leapt towards the flying type, but was unable to land a hit.

Isabelle laughed. "Ground type attacks? Seriously? Tackle!"

Right. Of course. With eighteen types to keep track of, Blue couldn't be blamed for slipping up just a little, right? Pidgey swooped down. Blue resisted the urge to order Cubone to dodge. He had to give his partner a chance to show him what it could do.

The flying type slammed into Cubone, but Blue's Pokémon stood its ground. Cubone grabbed at Pidgey, throwing the Pokémon down, then charged towards it.

"Dodge it, Pidgey!" Isabelle yelled, but she was too slow. Cubone struck her Pokémon with a Headbutt, knocking it into the grass.

Blue grinned. "I think that's a win for me."

The girl sighed. "Fine." She handed him a few coins. Around ₽320. Blue slipped it into his pocket. He could probably use that to buy some actual food. The free Pokémon Centre breakfast was certainly edible, but it didn't exactly taste good.

Blue recalled Cubone and set off upwards. When he was far enough away that he was pretty sure no one could hear him, he released Cubone again and lifted the Pokémon into his arms. "Well done," he said. "That move was pretty impressive."

Cubone rested its head against Blue's shoulder. "Cuu!"

Blue set Cubone down on a nearby stump, kneeling to meet its eyes. "You think you could pull something like that off in a gym battle?"

Cubone nodded.

"Right. I don't wanna go crawling back to Surge though. There's a Gym in Saffron that's just an hour or so away. Think we could try there?"

"Cuu."

From the determined glint in its eyes, Blue decided that meant yes. "Great. Let's go."

* * *

Blue stepped through the automatic doors of the Saffron City Gym. It was strange how similar it looked to the one in Vermillion on the outside. Blue wondered whether it was intentional, or perhaps the Pokémon League architects had just gotten a little lazy.

The interior, however, couldn't have been more different. The purple walls seemed to glow under the soft, cobalt light and the room smelt a whole lot cleaner. Despite this, Blue got a sense of… power from the place that he wasn't totally enthused with. Sort of like a dull, throbbing headache—but without the pain. Psychic Pokémon always creeped Blue out. Just being in their Gym was setting his nerves on edge

At the end of the Gym, a black haired woman stood on a raised pedestal. Blue waved to her. "You're the Gym Leader, right?"

She turned, and Blue felt her violet eyes pierce straight through him. She smiled, but there wasn't any warmth it it. The doors had closed. Too late to make a tactical retreat now.

"You… You're not supposed to be here, are you?"

Blue froze. How did she know? Had the police shown his picture to the Gym Leaders or something? But then… Why hadn't Surge—

"No," the woman continued. "It's two years too early for you to be stepping through those doors, Blue. How intriguing. This place isn't even an official Gym yet. So why choose here over the fighting type place next door? Surely there you would be less 'creeped out'?"

Blue took a few steps back. Just who was this woman? "I-I-" Blue began, but she cut him off.

"Shh!" she demanded. "Something has tampered with the strings of your fate. But I am Sabrina. Leader of the Saffron City Gym. It is rare that someone is able to surprise me. Show me what it means to twist your destiny!"

Sabrina launched a Poké Ball from a shelf behind her towards Blue and a Pokémon emerged from it. Blue just stared for a few moments, too stunned to even recognise it. What did Sabrina mean? Clearly she knew he was both not old enough to own Pokémon and on the run, yet she wasn't stopping him.

"Come," Sabrina said. "You cannot back down now. Show me whether you possess the strength you should."

Blue forced his eyes to focus on the Pokémon before him. An Abra. Psychic type, obviously. Weak until it evolves. He fought for a confident smile. This time, he couldn't lose. "Back down? Never."

Blue threw his own Poké Ball, letting Cubone emerge onto the field. "You got this one," he whispered. He'd let Cubone could fight the way it wanted to. It had been wild for its whole life. Maybe without his interference, it could hold its own.

Sabrina hovered a centimetre or so off the ground, a pink sheen glowing in her eyes. "Abra," she said, "don't hold back."

The Pokémon began to glow with a soft green light. A sphere of energy fizzled to life above its head. Blue watched Cubone. How was it going to deal with this? The Pokémon lunged forward, striking the projectile with a Bone Club.

Instead of dispersing, however, the Energy Ball exploded, showering bother combatants in green light. Blue raised a hand to cover his face as a strong, cool breeze pushed past him. When his eyes opened, Cubone was lying on the ground.

"No!" Blue yelled. Not again. Not so soon.

"Cuuu," the Pokémon groaned, and pushed itself up. Blue sighed. Good. This wasn't over yet.

Sabrina fell back to the floor, the power fading from her eyes. "You should have been able to advise your Pokémon against such a course of action," she said, with what sounded like disappointment. "This is a team effort, you know?"

Blue clenched a fist. That was the opposite of what Surge had said. He thought about telling Cubone to attack, but no. Abra had only just risen. Cubone would probably refuse to do it.

"If you won't move…" Sabrina said. "Psyshock!"

The light around Abra coalesced into a storm of purple energy that sped towards Cubone. Blue's Pokémon held its head down, planting its bone in the ground and bracing for impact, but the psychic attack was just too powerful.

Cubone flew back, slamming into the wall. Blue pulled its Poké Ball from his pocket and recalled it. Great. When he told it what to do, it lost. When it did what it wanted, it lost. What was he supposed to do?

"Blue…" Sabrina said, advancing forward until she was almost touching him. "Your loss here today was not foretold to me. I… I see nothing but danger in your- in everyone's future. Promise me you will prevail."

Blue turned around. He still had no clue what she was talking about, but at this point he didn't care. "I can't promise you anything."

* * *

Daisy left the hotel, ignoring her grandfather's shouts. She had told him. She had told him that if Blue didn't show up, she'd go looking for him herself. It wasn't an empty promise.

Of course, traipsing around the region alone would be just as dangerous for her as it was for Blue. That's why she wasn't going alone. Daisy checked her town map, then set off down Route 7. For the past few years, her Pokémon had stayed at the Day Care in Cerulean. She had dropped them off there so she could take care of Blue after… after their parents and then…

Daisy had meant to pick them up again, she really had, but after everything that had happened, it was hard to just go back. She was hesitant to believe that things could just return to how they were before. Now, however, Daisy needed their help. She just had to hope they'd be willing to give it.


	4. Blame

The sun was just beginning to set on Saffron City, but Blue didn't feel like staying the night. He leant against the white-painted wall of the Pokémon centre, pulling his jacket over his shoulders, and stared off towards Vermillion. He had lost two Gym Battles already. This wasn't a very promising start to his journey.

Blue took Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket. The two of them had promised to take down Team Rocket together, but Blue had been expecting Cubone to be a little more capable than it had turned out to be. Maybe he wasn't really at fault for those losses. Maybe—

A familiar voice rang out from across the street, pulling Blue from his thoughts. Someone was calling his name. Someone he recognised. Blue spun round. That was impossible. Daisy was running towards him. "Blue!" she said. "I-I really found you!"

Blue took a few steps back, stuffing Cubone's Poké Ball away. "What do you want?"

Daisy tried to wrap her arms around him, but Blue pushed her away. "Blue?" she said again, eyes filled with enough blatant worry to almost crack Blue's nerve. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Blue said, and fortunately his voice didn't break. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The sound of a single footstep echoed through the street. Or maybe just through Blue's mind. Daisy had taken one pace backward. "You ran away," she said. "I've been so worried about you. I-I didn't even know you were alive!"

Daisy never raised her voice at Blue. He must have really shaken her up. Part of him wanted to let her take him back home and end this nightmare, but… "I'm not gonna go with you."

"Wh-what?" Daisy's face fell, and she closed the ground between them once more. "Blue, you have to. It's dangerous out here. You're fourteen!"

"Yeah?" Blue said. "Well if I'm not gonna avenge Red's death, then who is? No one believed you Daisy. This is up to me."

"Blue-" Daisy began, but Blue took off running in the opposite direction. She couldn't say anything to dissuade him.

Blue didn't look back until he had left Saffron and taken cover under the trees. He seemed to have been doing that a lot recently. Daisy didn't jump through the treeline to drag him back to Pallet Town, so Blue guessed he had managed to get away. Somehow, that didn't feel like a victory.

Blue tugged away a few brambles and used a nearby tree bough to pull himself to his feet. He stepped over to a nearby signpost. 'Route 5. Cerulean City to Saffron City'. Blue convinced himself to smile. Cerulean had a Gym. Maybe this time he'd be able to claim a victory.

* * *

The bright cyan door of the Cerulean Gym swung open, and Blue stepped into its neat, tiled lobby. This was a larger building than the other two gyms. The outside was faded white and decorated with pastel images of various water type Pokémon. The interior was far from a wide open room, too. In fact, Blue couldn't see the Gym Leader anywhere.

An orange-haired receptionist, the only other person in the room, waved at Blue from a desk in front of him. "Hi!"

"Uhh… Hi," Blue responded. He stepped over to her. "This is a Pokémon Gym, right?"

"Yeah," the receptionist said, with a polite smile that made it very clearly that was a stupid question. "The guys changing room is just through there." She gestured to a door on the left. Sure enough, it was marked with a 'men's' symbol, contrasting the 'women's' sign to the right.

"Changing room?" Blue asked.

The receptionist sighed. Apparently, this kind of thing happened a lot. "You do have a swimsuit, right?"

Blue flashed a lopsided smile. "Should I?"

"Yep." The receptionist sighed again, a little louder this time. "Don't worry, we sell them. Come with me."

The orange haired girl lead Blue through a central door into what looked like a merchandise shop. Blue suddenly remembered he had barely any money. "Uh… You're expecting me to pay for this aren't you?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Of course. We can't afford to give a free swimsuit to any trainer who happens to wander in here." She met his eyes. "Are you saying you don't have any money?"

Blue shrugged. "About P300"

"…That'll do. Provided you're tiny enough for a medium size."

"Medium?" Blue laughed. "I'm a small."

The girl leant against the rack of swimsuits, retaining her eye contact with Blue. "Really?" she said. "That's pretty short for a sixteen year old."

"Yeah. I guess I am." Blue laughed again, channeling away the fear that had just run through him.

The girl nodded. "In fact, I don't think I've ever met a challenger who looked as young as you."

Blue decided his best bet would be to derail the conversation completely. "Okay, I get it, I look like a kid. I think I'm well aware of that." He held out his money.

"Hmm," the receptionist said. "Would you mind showing me your Pokédex?"

Blue made a show of patting each of his pockets in turn, before shrugging and saying, "I can't. I lost it. Actually, I'm heading to Saffron tomorrow to get a new one."

The girl just laughed. "Right. Sure thing. You're not sixteen are you?"

Apparently the look in Blue's eyes was more than enough of an answer.

She grinned. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone. Actually, I'm kinda impressed." She tossed Blue a swimsuit from the rack. "When I turn sixteen, I'm gonna become a trainer. Someday, you'll be challenging me as the Cerulean City gym leader." She took the money from his hand. "The name's Misty. Remember it."

Blue eyed Misty, somewhat suspiciously. She had said she wouldn't tell anyone, but he still didn't want to give her any sort of concrete proof that she was right. Instead, he simply nodded. "Right. Thanks."

* * *

The damp, slippery ground of the changing room gave way to the corrugated surface of the gym itself. A large pool filled the centre of the room, rippling and swaying under the force of some kind of wave machine. Across on the other side of it, Blue could just make out two figures. A man and a woman.

The man waved to him. "Hello! Are you a challenger?" His voice was deep, and tinged with an accent Blue couldn't quite place.

Blue stepped over to the closest side of the pool, standing opposite the two others. He could see them more clearly now, in the sunlight that streamed in from a circular window on the roof. They were both tanned with dark eyes weathered by the sun. The man's long, black hair was tied behind his head, flowing down across his shoulders and almost reaching the legs of the wetsuit he wore from the waist down. A string necklace hung down to his centre. It seemed to be crafted from fishing line and six Poké Balls were hooked onto it. His arms were muscular. Obviously he spent a lot of time in the water.

The woman looked very similar, but her hair was slightly lighter in tone and not quite as long, touching only just below her shoulders from where it was tied on each side of her head. Her eyes were also a different colour. A deep maroon compared to his aquamarine.

"I am," Blue said. "You're the gym leader?"

"Perceptive," the woman said, "But not quite right. You see… both Bora and I are gym leaders."

Blue curled his toes around the edge of the pool. "What?"

The man, presumably Bora, laughed. "You see, in our home region of Hoenn, there is a very popular form of battle called a double battle. Each trainer sends two Pokémon onto the field, and they must work together in order to win. That is the challenge you must face if you wish to claim a Cascade Badge!"

"But I don't have two Pokémon," Blue protested. He pulled Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket as proof.

Bora's face fell. "Ah. Then I assume this is your first gym challenge?"

"Yeah," Blue lied, not really wishing to admit his previous losses.

"All right," Bora glanced at the woman. "Then you may choose which of us you will face. Me, or my sister, Audra."

Blue's arm fell to his side. He ran his fingers along Cubone's Poké Ball. Bora seemed to be a lot more confident, as if he were the head of their two-part team, which would presumably make Audra the weaker trainer, but Blue couldn't help seeing something in her eyes. A sort of sharp, cold glint that sent a chill running through him, like his back had been struck with an Ice Shard attack.

"I'll battle Bora," Blue said.

Audra stepped back. "Very well. Then I shall take the role of referee. This shall be a one on one battle. Standard rules. No healing items. No battle items."

Bora hopped onto the edge of a low diving board and, sitting on its end, he trailed his feet in the water, flashing Blue with a wide smile. "I'll let you take the first move." He pulled a Poké Ball from his necklace, enlarged it, and tossed it into the water.

A flash of white light illuminated the pool, then a dull blue shadow materialised in the water. "Come on up, Carvanha!" Bora said. "Give our challenger a good look at you!"

The shadow spun around, slicing through the water and leaping into the air. Blue just had time to catch sight of a red and navy blur before it dived down once more. Bora laughed. "This is probably your first time facing a non-native Pokémon species. I hope you don't rely too heavily on foreknowledge."

Blue surveyed the battlefield. He knew this was a water type gym but he hadn't exactly been expecting this much water. The only places Cubone would be able to stand were the few platforms tossing in the waves, some foam, some plastic. That and the very edge of the pool that remained just within the arena. Blue clenched a fist. No point in doubting himself now. He could do this. Blue tossed Cubone's ball onto one of the sturdier looking plastic platforms.

Bora watched his opponent emerge with an easy almost nonchalance. "Ah, a Cubone," he said. "I suppose you'd have given a better type advantage had you more than one Pokémon partner."

Blue forced a smirk, fighting down the nervous tension that swirled within him. "I don't need a type advantage to beat you. Cubone! Use-" Blue faltered. Bora was right. Falling into the water would not be a good strategy for a ground-type. In there, Cubone would be at Carvanha's mercy. Blue was well aware Cubone had to stay on the platform, but did it even know any ranged attacks? He sighed. "Use Growl!"

Cubone let out a guttural roar that even managed to disconcert Blue. He just had to hope Carvanha could hear it under all that water.

"Interesting choice," Bora said, in the same easygoing manner that was really beginning to get on Blue's nerves. "You may have lowered my attack power, but despite appearances, that's not Carvanha's only trick. Icy Wind!"

Carvanha sped up from the depths of the pool once again, soaring from the water only long enough to shoot a stream of frigid air straight at Cubone's island. There wasn't enough room to dodge, but maybe…"

"Jump!" Blue said. "Try to reach the next platform!"

Water trailed from Cubone's feet as it did as Blue instructed, hopping from one plastic circle to the next, just as the damp ground it had been standing on turned to ice. "Yes!" Blue said. "Keep going. Get as close to Carvanha as you can."

Cubone continued through the pool, jumping from platform to platform, chasing the dull shadow beneath. When Cubone reached the place Carvanha lay, it glanced back at Blue. He gave it a confident smile. "Good. Just wait."

Bora smiled too. "Waiting for me to strike? That's not gonna work. Carvanha? Aqua Jet."

The dull shadow disappeared, and it took Blue a moment too long to realise where it had gone. "Cubone, get out of there!" he yelled, but it was too late. Carvanha had struck the bottom of Cubone's foam platform, flipping it upside down. Cubone flailed in the water, trying its best to grab onto the foam with the pointed end of its bone.

"There's no shame in backing out," Bora said.

Not a chance. Blue didn't even respond.

Bora shrugged. "All right then. I'll have to finish this. Aqua Jet again."

Carvanha sped towards Cubone, water swirling around its sharp red eyes. Just as the attack was about to make contact, Blue yelled, "Bone Club!"

Cubone let go it's hold of the platform, instead spinning with its bone and knocking Carvanha off course. The water type recoiled, giving Cubone the time it needed to escape the clutches of the churning pool.

"Ah," Bora said, breaking out into another smile. "It seems I've underestimated you." He pushed down on the diving board, using its force to spring him up to his feet. "All right! I'll give this match my all as well."

Carvanha circled back around, eying Cubone with the kind of spiteful stare only a Pokémon without eyelids can give. Cubone looked back, steadfast, it's bone raised. It knew it couldn't reach the water Pokémon in the pool, but when it closed in to strike…

"Assurance," Bora commanded, and Carvanha swam forward once again. It leapt from the water, jaws glowing a deep purple. Cubone didn't need Blue to tell it what to do next. It swung its bone but the only thing it hit was air.

Carvanha hadn't been aiming for Cubone, instead it had struck the ground before it, thrusting the foam down and tossing the ground type into the water.

Bora's easy smile grew a little wider as with one last Aqua Jet, Carvanha launched Cubone onto a floating chunk of plastic, unconscious. Blue let out a defeated sigh. He had tried to hold it back—to keep his composure—but it was difficult. That was his third loss in a row. Blue raised Cubone's Poké Ball and recalled it. He'd have to go back to the Pokémon Centre, which meant staying in Cerulean another day. Great.

"And there we have it." Audra said. "The challenger's Cubone is unable to battle, making Gym Leader Bora the winner."

The sound of Bora's triumphant laughter filled the air, then a splash as he leapt into the water to congratulate his Carvanha. After a quick petting, he recalled it and, treading water, turned to Blue. "You battled well," he said. "Without the type advantage, I may not have won. Many electric type Pokémon live in the forest west of here, by the river. You may wish to find one to add to your team."

Blue turned away. "Yeah. Perhaps." It wasn't likely. He barely had enough money to pay for food for himself and Cubone. He could maybe handle a couple more Pokémon, but nowhere near enough to just go catching anything that happened to have a type advantage.

"Will I see you again?" Bora asked.

This time, Blue didn't give an answer.

* * *

It took until evening for the Pokémon Centre to heal Cubone's injuries. Blue spent those hours sat in the corner of the room, quietly chiding himself. As much as—deep down—he wanted to, he couldn't blame Cubone for their loss. It wasn't the one that went charging into a water gym without knowing a thing about it. It wasn't the one expecting victory after victory when it'd only been training three days. It wasn't the one that had let its friend die. Blue felt a few tears fall from his nose, and that just made him feel worse. Maybe he just wasn't cut out to be a Pokémon Trainer after all.

When the nurse came to return Blue's Poké Ball to him, she had to call three times before he even heard her. At that point Blue took Cubone's ball without a word and left immediately after. He didn't know where he was going. Just about anywhere he'd be alone would do.

Eventually, Blue had to stop walking when he reached a river. He looked up. He'd reached the edge of the city, just beside the entrance to Route 24. He sat down by the riverbank. It was smooth and slow, the surface of the water reflecting the stars like an ashen mirror. Under other circumstances, Blue might have thought it was beautiful. Right now, it just seemed like dull water. This was as good a place as any.

Blue pulled Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket and opened it. Cubone blinked a few times, it's eyes adjusting to the low evening light.

"Hey," Blue said.

Cubone cooed, stepping over to him and nestling into his jacket.

Despite everything, Blue couldn't resist smiling. "You did really well in that battle," he said. "I'm sorry."

Cubone glanced up at him, puzzled. "Cuu?"

"Yeah," Blue said, wrapping his arm a little tighter around Cubone. "I'm sorry. For the longest time I've been blaming you for our losses. As if I didn't have any hand in them at all. The truth is, I'm the one holding us back."

Blue glanced down, wanting to meet Cubone's eyes, but he realised they had drifted. Cubone was staring out into the water, as if following something in the river. Blue matched its gaze, eventually spotting what Cubone had seen. Around a foot or so away, the starlight was blocked out by a lump of purple… something floating in the current. Blue was about to dismiss it as garbage. Until it moved.

The mass shifted, spinning slowly in the water until it has almost reached the bank. Then, it sprang up and landed in front of Blue.

Blue scrambled back, hopping to his feet. Cubone stood its ground, holding its bone out at the creature before it. Now that it was closer, Blue could make out a sort of face near the top—or maybe the head—of the thing. A small, blank smile and two black eyes that were fixed on Cubone.

It let out a high-pitched squeal, almost like a kittens mewl. Then, its body began to stretch and swirl until it resembled a purple statue of Cubone. As if some master confectionery maker had decided to dedicate far too much time to creating a grape flavoured replica of their favourite Pokémon. The purple colour began to fade, being replaced by white and brown. The creature tapped a bone against the ground. "Cuu!"

Blue didn't have time to question how the blob from the river had managed to transform itself into an exact copy of his partner, because Cubone—even more spooked then he was—had decided to leap forward, striking the creature with a Bone Club.

The sharp clack of bone hitting bone resounded through the night air. Apparently the creature didn't just look like Cubone. It's eyes hardened and it struck back, whipping Cubone's face with its own Bone Club.

Cubone glanced back at Blue, not wanting to attack on its own for a second time. "Hold it off," he said. "But don't let it get away."

Cubone turned back to the creature and whacked it once more.

Blue pulled his bag from his shoulders and retrieved one of the Poké Balls he had st—uh—taken. "Let's hope this works…" he whispered, before tossing it at the creature. The ball snapped open and absorbed it in a flash of white light. So it was a Pokémon, then. The ball rolled back and forth, before clicking shut again with a celebratory burst of yellow light.

"I got it!" Blue stepped forward and took the ball from Cubone, who was tapping it cautiously with the end of its bone. He sighed. "I just wish I had a Pokédex. That might have some information on whatever this is. Guess we're just gonna have to find out for ourselves."

Blue opened the Poké Ball, and the creature materialised on the river back once again. It had reverted back to being a purple blob, and stared up at Blue with a blank smile. It mewled again, bobbing a little up and down. Did that mean it was happy? For all Blue knew it could be about to pounce. Cubone certainly didn't seem to like it much.

Slightly apprehensive, Blue knelt in front of the thing. "Hey," he said. It just kept staring. Blue laughed. "Guess you can't talk, huh?" The Pokémon mewled and, losing interest in Blue, flowed along the ground over to the riverbank.

Cubone nudged Blue's leg with its bone, then gestured upstream.

Blue recalled the creature and dropped the Poké Ball into his pocket. "It was floating down from over there, right?" he said. "Come on. Let's see if we can find anything."

* * *

The pale silver light of the moon was all Blue had to go by as he stepped onto the gold-painted ground of Nugget Bridge. Well, that and the golden light that shimmered it's way over from the open-air contest hall that stood on the cape. If he somehow managed to get incredibly lost, Blue figured that would make a useful landmark.

He had pulled his jacket tight over his shoulders in an attempt to ward off the soft, yet chilling, breeze and Cubone was walking about as close to his leg as it could in order to claim a little shelter.

Even so, the cold and the dark were probably better than having to fight their way through all the trainers that milled around this spot during the day. Blue still wasn't sure he could handle a battle right then.

Blue clutched the Poké Ball in his pocket. Then again, maybe a battle would help him figure out what exactly it was he'd captured. They'd made it almost ten minutes upriver without managing to hit on any leads.

That is, until Blue saw torchlight on the opposite riverbank. He crouched down, gently shushing Cubone when it began to complain at him. Blue edged forward, listening for any kind of movement. After a moment or so of silence, a loud splashing filled the air.

"That was the last of 'em," a voice said.

"Yeah," another responded. "I still don't see why we brought them all the way out here though. Shoulda just dumped them in Cinnabar where they came from."

"The boss said it would be safer up here. Harder to trace and all."

"Yeah, I guess so."

The torchlight shone in Blue's direction, and he stepped back. What had the two men been doing? Blue concealed Cubone in his jacket before tapping its Poké Ball against its head and recalling it. He stood up and began making his way across the bridge.

But the pressure of a hand on his shoulder stopped Blue in his tracks. "Hey," said a voice that he recognised as one of the two men from before. Blue felt his fight-or-flight response kick in and, for the first time in his life, he decided that fighting was probably not the best option.

Blue shook the man off and sprung forward, only to be stopped by another pair of hands. "We're not here to hurt you," the other man said.

The first nodded. "Yeah. I'da just sicked my Pokémon on you if that were the objective."

The cold metal of bridge's railing dug into Blue's back. If all else failed, the water wouldn't be such a bad option. "So what do you want?" he said.

Now that they were closer, he could make out the faces of the two men. One of them smiled. "Well, you're obviously not police. It's only natural you'd be curious, hearing us talking out here in the middle of the night."

"And y'see," The other man continued. "To be out here at this time anyway, you probably haven't much elsewhere to go. Am I right?"

Blue clenched a fist in his pocket with one hand, and grabbed Cubone's Poké Ball with the other. He wouldn't go down without a fight. "And so what if you are?"

"Well," the first man said, "during the day, I run a recruitment programme out here. You sign up, I give you a nugget and a place to stay. Simple as that."

Blue eyed him, still suspicious. "Recruitment for what?"

"Team Rocket."


	5. Change

Daisy stepped through the doors of the Cerulean City Gym, walking swiftly and purposefully up to the reception desk.

"Hi," the orange-haired receptionist said. "Are you a challenger?"

"No." Daisy pulled a photograph from her pocket. "I was just wondering if you might have seen my brother."

The photo was an old one. Blue stood grinning over a small birthday cake lit up with thirteen candles, a party hat balanced on the mess of hair atop his head. Red stood beside him, trying his best to smile for the camera. Daisy had her arm wrapped around his shoulder and Gramps had been on the other side of the camera.

Every time Daisy had to use that photo, it took all her willpower not to shed a tear. Things had still been hard that year, but unlike the one before it, they were happy. Daisy remembered promising to Blue as she saw him to bed, that she would never ever leave him alone. It was a vow she intended to keep. He might not have realised it, but Blue needed her.

The receptionist peered over at the photograph. "Yeah," she said, and Daisy's heart leapt. "He came in here just yesterday."

A lead. Daisy had been worried that maybe Blue hadn't come to Cerulean either. She'd had no luck in Lavender Town, after all. Part of her had even begun to worry that he hadn't made it anywhere at all. "Do you have any idea where he went after that?" Daisy asked.

"No, sorry," the receptionist said. Then, her sea-blue eyes turned turbulent. "Did… did he run away from home?"

So Blue still looked healthy and clean enough that he didn't end up suspicious? That was somewhat reassuring. "Yes," Daisy said. "I'm looking for him."

The receptionist gave a low sigh, "Right," subconsciously fiddling at the tied-up tuft of hair on the side of her head. "He challenged the gym, but I think he lost," she said. "He might have gone up Nugget Bridge to train."

Daisy slid the photo back into her bag. "Thank you, so much."

"I hope you find him," the girl said. Her voice was still bright, but only professionally so. That was something Daisy recognised.

As she turned away, she let her smile fade. "So do I."

* * *

Daisy knew the way to Nugget Bridge. She could rather vividly remember her first visit to Cerulean City, and her first loss at the Contest Hall on the cape. She had felt so crushed. Like she failed both herself and her Squirtle. But then Blue had shown up. He'd run out alone, caught a train and travelled to Cerulean just to watch her. And though it took him a while to admit it, he had been impressed. No matter what the judges said, that had meant Daisy's performance good enough for her.

This wasn't the time to get lost in memories though, no matter how sweet. Daisy blinked the tears from her eyes. Right now, she had to find her brother. Unfortunately, Nugget Bridge was crawling with trainers—half of them engaged in animated battles, even right in the middle of the bridge. If that receptionist was right and Blue had caught himself a Pokémon, which would—now that Daisy thought about it—explain the Poké Balls missing from her grandfather's room, then that was the place he would be.

It was a decent theory, but not one that was easy to confirm. Daisy must have spent at least an hour wandering up and down Nugget Bridge, with little care for the wind that raced across it, checking each and every face—some more than once—and yet Blue was nowhere to be found.

Eventually, she retreated back to the Pokémon Centre. Perhaps a nice drink would help clear her head. Pokémon Centre café's were never the nicest places. The seats were very much plastic, and the floor was often covered in mud, but the drinks were hot and the food was… well, it was edible.

Besides, waiting in line gave Daisy time to think. This strategy clearly wasn't working, but Nugget Bridge was her only lead. She glanced out across the sea inlet, at Route 25. Of course, it was entirely possible that Blue had crossed the bridge and made his way over there. He could be out there training his Pokémon right now. It was the next logical place to check. It was the place Daisy should check. It was—

"Uh… Ma'am?" the barista said. Daisy blinked once, twice, then gave a polite smile and took her Tapu Cocoa from the counter. It was on the more expensive side, as the beans were imported from the Alola region, but it had always served as something of a comfort drink for Daisy. Right now she definitely needed comforting.

There was a free chair beside the window of the building, so Daisy—setting her cocoa down on the desk—began to feed coins into the side of a computer monitor fixed to the wall. Enough for around half an hour's worth of internet. Daisy held her Pokédex to the screen, and it flashed up with her Pokémon League homepage.

Daisy was glad she had sat down, or she would probably have spilt her drink. Being met with over a hundred unread emails—almost certainly all questions and queries and interviews and sympathies from various news reporters—was one thing. Being met with her smiling Trainer ID was quite another.

That photo could easily have been of another girl. One who grinned at camera flashes and wore beautiful dresses and travelled from city to city with just her Pokémon by her side and not a care in the world. That smiling face had no idea what was looming ahead of it.

Daisy couldn't let anybody see her even close to the Contest Hall. She couldn't go through all that again. Actually, not being noticed at all would be rather nice. Daisy had the feeling that turning this whole mess into a viral news story wouldn't do much to persuade Blue that he should return home. No. She would check over Nugget Bridge one last time, then she'd leave. She'd ask around town, and if Blue wasn't there, she'd leave.

The last of Daisy's internet served to fire an email to Gramps, explaining the current status of her search and letting him know she was okay. She left out her location, though. Just in case he tried to come after her.

* * *

The second visit to Nugget Bridge was about as successful as the first. Daisy drifted through the crowds of up-and-coming trainers, hoping in vain that just one of them would be Blue. Daisy reached the end of the bridge again and stopped just as her feet touched grass. He wasn't there. In fact, the only person on the far end of the bride was about three times Blue's age and had the patience to fish. It was almost insulting.

Even so, Daisy decided she'd ask him if he'd seen Blue. There was a chance after all. She stepped forward, meaning to tap the man on the shoulder, but before she got close enough, he stepped back, pulling up with his fishing rod and reeling something from the water.

Once the end of the line stopped swaying (it had soaked both Daisy and the fisherman—though he had a long coat to keep the water off) he unhooked the Pokémon from the end of it.

The man chuckled. "Ah, you appear to be but a regular Goldeen, do you not? I do not know I can believe that. Come. Show yourselves real form to me!" He poked at the Goldeen with his rod, as if expecting it to do something other than flop about, and Daisy decided it would be best if she quietly left and asked someone else about Blue.

Then the Golden began to change. All the colour faded from its body, flowing into a solid purple. It lost its shape, simply collapsing into a blob on the ground. Two eyes appeared near the top of the thing, along with a frowning mouth. Evidently, it didn't appreciate being poked.

The blob leapt forward, slamming into the man's face. He gave a cry and reeled back, pulling it off of him and placing it on the ground. "I do not mean to do you harm!" he insisted. "Please, remain within a calm attitude."

The blob looked anything but calm. Daisy decided she should probably step in. She dashed forward, in front of the man. "Look out," she said, throwing a Poké Ball forward.

"Look for what?" The man asked, but he didn't move.

Daisy's Poké Ball snapped open, and her Wartortle materialised on the grass. "Water Pulse!"

Wartortle formed a sphere of rippling water in front of itself before sending it spiralling outwards, pushing the blob creature back into the river.

The man stared after it. "So very… aggressive," he said, then, turning to Daisy. "I must give you thanks. If you were here not, I may not have gained safety." He had some kind of accent to his voice. Daisy couldn't quite tell where it was from.

"It's alright," she said. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"A question?" the man said.

"Yeah." Daisy nodded, making sure to get her point across. "Have you seen my brother?"

Daisy held up the photo, and the man studied it closely. Then, he shook his head. "I am sorry. I have not."

"That's okay," Daisy said, more to comfort herself than anyone else. "I guess I'll just have to look elsewhere."

The man gave a grin. "Look? Ah! I am also partaking in a search. My name… Ah, no, I shall inform you of my code name only. My code name, it is Looker. I am a agent of the International Police. I believe our help..." Looker paused, seemingly searching for a word. "We can offer to each other our help. In this region of Kanto, an organisation called the Team Rocket conducts crime. Perhaps soon, a very serious and big crime. My job I have been appointed is to stop them. Your search of your brother, and my search of the Team Rocket, could they not be conducted at the same time—with each other?"

Daisy gave a slight laugh. "Uh… Thanks for the offer, but no. I think it'd be easier for me to search on my own."

Looker nodded gravely. "Very well. I shall continue my search with only me. If you change your choice, I am staying at the Pokémon Centre. But I will leave in one day."

With that he slung his fishing rod over his shoulder and headed back down the bridge. Daisy sighed. That could have gone a lot better. She wandered idly over to Wartortle and sat down beside it, running her hand over its head. "You did a good job," she said. "Thanks, Wartortle."

The Pokémon smiled and after one last stroke over its ear, Daisy tapped its Poké Ball against its head, recalling it.

She stared down the pier, at the fading sunlight over Cerulean. She didn't have much longer until dark. This was her last shot with her only lead.

So, Daisy spent the next few hours walking through the dusk in Cerulean City, asking just about every passerby if they had seen or heard anything of Blue. And, invariably, just about every one said they had heard nothing. That was, until she came across a kid on her way home from Nugget Bridge.

"Hey!" Daisy said, mentally preparing herself for yet another failure.

The kid stopped and spun around. "Hey?"

"I just wanted to ask. Have you seen my brother?" Daisy pulled out the photo, and she inspected it.

"No. I haven't."

"Okay." Daisy stashed the photo away again. "Thanks anyway."

She turned as if to leave, but the kid said, "Wait!"

Daisy felt her heart leap and chided herself. This wasn't anything yet. "What is it?"

"Did he go missing around Nugget Bridge?"

The rising fear in the kid's voice didn't fill Daisy with confidence. "Yeah I think he might have," she said. "Why?"

"It's just that…" her hands slipped into the pockets of her shorts. "well… sometimes, when I'm at Nugget Bridge, I see people. Dark clothes, just standing around. Everyone knows they're Team Rocket, but mostly we just try to avoid them."

Daisy's heart began to freeze up, as if all the energy in her body was being sapped out by a Giga Drain. "And… you think that…"

"Yeah. Your brother might have spoken with them."

Daisy held back a sob. "Okay. Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

The kid gave a nod and kept on her way back home. Daisy wished she could do the same. Team Rocket. Blue had been captured by Team Rocket. Daisy sat down hard on the ground. This was her fault. Like everything seemed to be. She had let Blue get away and now…

No. Daisy pushed herself to her feet. She couldn't give up. After all, now she had another lead. Daisy put one foot in front of the other and began moving slowly, but unwaveringly, towards the Pokémon Centre.

It only took around fifteen minutes for her to reach the place, and the man she had met—Looker—was sat just beside the door. His eyes lit up as he saw her arrive. "Ah!" he said. "Has your choice changed?"

Daisy pulled back the seat opposite him. "Yes. It has. You see…" She sat, resting her arms on the table. This wasn't going to be an easy discussion. "I think my brother has been captured by Team Rocket."

"Ah." Looker's eyes hardened. "That is what you could call a problem." He readjusted the collar of the coat he hadn't taken off. "Our searches are more together than I thought they were to be. I will be glad of your assistance, if you will be glad of mine."

He offered Daisy his hand, and she took it. "If you're investigating Team Rocket, I'll help you." The handshake was firm and formal. This wasn't an agreement between friends. It was an alliance against a common enemy.

"Good." Looker let slip a smile. "Then we will search together. What information do you have regarding the vanishment of your brother?"

Blood rushed into Daisy's face. She should have anticipated this. "Well… uh. I'm not sure you'd believe me."

Looker leant back in his chair, allowing the front legs to rise off the ground. "I believe many things. Many more than many people. What is it?"

"Well…" Daisy's eyes drifted from the room, into the dark outside. That was easier to talk to. "My brother ran away after a friend of ours was murdered," she said. "I think he's trying to find the trainer responsible."

"That is not so unbelievable," Looker said. He righted his chair and posture. "It is sad, and sadly real to me."

"That's not it." Far too many of the muscles in Daisy's body tensed up. She fought for control of her breathing. "The murderer… well… he used Celebi."

Looker's dark eyes widened. A sparkle of intrigue began to work itself into the pity-tinged understanding. "Ah. That is more of a surprise."

An impromptu laugh flew up from the pit of Daisy's stomach, and she caught it as it melted into a smile on her lips. "You… you believe me!"

"I believe you," Looker confirmed. "This is a matter most serious. I would be glad to assist you."

Daisy's eyes dampened. She couldn't quite tell whether their source was relief or pent-up sadness. "Th-thank you," she managed. "Really."

"We will find your brother together," Looker said. "And the Team Rocket too."

The smile fought back onto her face. "And I guess I could help you get a little more fluent with our language, huh?"

Looker raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Is my speech somewhat… bad?"

"Everything can be fixed." Daisy stood up. "I'm gonna book myself a room. We leave tomorrow, right?"


	6. Training

A swift blow to his back toppled Blue across the damp ground—almost taking his footing—and into the Cerulean Gym's battlefield. He spun, raising his fists to provide a meagre defence for himself. "Hey! No need to push. I agreed to come with you didn't I?"

"You're in no position to complain," the man said. He was big and stocky. Not the kind of person Blue had a chance of fighting. "Unless the admin decides you're more valuable to her than me."

Blue stood a little straighter at the mention of 'the admin'. "Who?"

"Why do you think we brought you here?" the man asked. "You wanna be one of us, you have to pull your weight."

The lights in the room flickered on, and the nugget in Blue's pocket felt heavier as he realised that they weren't alone. At the other side of the room, exactly where she had been the day before, stood the Cerulean Gym Leader, Audra. "Well?" she said, expectant, "Did you dispose of them?"

Blue didn't quite know how to react. Every kid in Kanto grew up with stories of their eight gym leaders. Many could name them all by heart. They were touted as the best of the best, the strongest and kindest trainers out there. Their reputation was fixed on that fact. Not one of them could afford to—or would even want to—become involved in criminal activity. Yet here she was.

The other man stepped forward. "Yes ma'am. All of the rejects have been dumped in that river."

"Good. Very good." Audra's eyes scanned across and fixed on Blue's. The two locked for a moment, each refusing to give the other any ground. Blue didn't know this woman. They hadn't even battled. But he couldn't help the sting of betrayal that wound its way through his gut. A smile grew on Audra's face. Amusement. A silent taunt daring Blue to attempt to right this injustice. "And what is this child doing here?"

"We found him out lost on the bridge," the man explained. "He's a recruit."

The smile widened. "Ah. It seems you are intent on getting stronger." Yesterday, Blue would have taken that as a compliment. "Very well. Escort him to the training facilities."

The man behind Blue nodded, then grabbed him by the shoulders. "Hey!"

"Quiet!" he whispered, almost directly into Blue's ear. "If you're gonna survive in here, you need to learn to do as you're told."

* * *

Another shove and Blue found himself in the back of a black van. He got up and paced around it once a sharp jolt told him the van was in motion. The engine would mask the sound of his footsteps. The interior of the van wasn't interesting. Just empty sacks and cold metal. No, Blue was pacing for another reason. The activity helped to distract him from his thoughts. And more specifically, his doubts. The gold nugget hadn't been the only reason he said yes. This was the right decision.

Blue sighed and drew out Cubone's Poké Ball. He activated it, spilling his Pokémon out in a burst of white light. Cubone glanced back and forth. Then it gave a low growl. Evidently, it recognised its surroundings.

"What's your problem?" Blue asked, as if he wasn't well aware. Cubone's growl continued. Blue clenched a fist. "Look. I didn't take this decision lightly. Maybe we could have survived out there, but with our win rate it wouldn't have been for long. They're giving us a place to stay."

Cubone didn't respond. It just ran a finger over its skull mask, not breaking eye contact with Blue.

"I know what they did!" he said. "I know they're bad and I don't like them either. But you can't deny that Team Rocket is strong. We need that kind of strength, Cubone."

"Cu." Dismissive. And, Blue thought, arrogant.

"It doesn't matter what you think," he said. "We're doing this. We have to."

Cubone was silent again. It had to realise. This was for its own good. No response. It didn't even meet Blue's eyes. He pulled out its Poké Ball and recalled it. It didn't matter. Pokémon didn't command their trainers. Blue dropped the ball in his pocket, replacing it with the other that lay there.

He rolled it over in his hand for a moment or two, wondering whether the creature inside was safe to release in such a small space. Blue decided he didn't care. Light flashed, and the purple blob materialised.

For a moment or so, the blank smile hung on its face, but once the creature seemed to become aware of its surroundings, its expression changed. A confused frown. Blue crushed a pang of guilt. Being here was necessary.

Blue held a hand out to it. "Hey."

The creature—the Pokémon—eyed him, then edged closer. It pressed itself against his hand, and Blue petted it a little, producing a contented purr. The texture of its skin was smooth, but with a lot more consistency than Blue had expected. It felt more like rubber than jelly.

It mewed again and Blue felt a smile begin to break onto his face. Strength wasn't the only thing he'd find in Team Rocket. They'd probably be able to give him some clue as to what this thing was too.

"I am doing the right thing, y'know," Blue said, ignoring the hollowness in his voice. The Pokémon didn't disagree. It didn't even acknowledge that he'd said anything. It just squirmed a little under his hand. Blue found the little mewls it made as it readjusted itself rather adorable. It was a much better listener than Cubone.

Blue was about to relay the rest of his plan to the creature—more for his benefit than its—when the van jolted to a stop. Couldn't it move any smoother than that? Footsteps sounded outside, and the door was pulled open.

"Hey, kid," the man said. "We're here."

Blue stood up, scooping the Pokémon into his arms and trying to look as tough as one could while cradling a small, cute creature. "Where's here?"

"Stop with the questions. You don't get to ask those." The man's eyes widened slightly. "And what're your doing with one of the rejects? Did you catch that thing?"

"I might have," Blue said. "What's it to you?" He wasn't going to outright ask the guy for information. That clearly wouldn't work.

"I was the one who had to throw those things out," he said. "They aren't supposed to come squirming back."

"Yeah?" Blue gave a shrug. "Well this one's mine."

The man just turned away. "I couldn't care less. Do what you want with it." Tension dissipate in Blue's shoulders. He'd half expected him to try taking the Pokémon away, and Blue didn't know what he could have done to stop that.

Blue recalled the Pokémon and pocketed the ball. He hopped out of the van and into a familiar skyline. "This is Celadon," he said. The man didn't respond, just gestured to a rust-covered back door beside them.

"In there."

That was probably the best idea. Blue didn't exactly like following the man's orders, but this at least wasn't one his disagreed with. He stepped onto the stone doorstep and pushed it open.

Blue had assumed the door would be locked. His trying to open it was more of a show of enthusiasm than anything else. So, when the thing screeched open, he was in no way prepared for what lay inside.

A dingy back-room had been the expectation. Somewhere musty and mouldy and altogether unpleasant. Maybe the unsavoury smell of damp and rot would flow from the door. To give himself some credit, Blue had predicted the scent of alcohol. Just not that it would be coming from silver canapé platters.

They were at the back entrance of a fancy casino, lit in bright oranges and yellows, and populated by everyone from ladies and gentlemen in about the most formal attire Blue had ever seen, to Rocket grunts skulking in the corners, probably to make sure none of their patrons tried to cheat. The realisation that the latter description applied to Blue himself sent a chill down his back.

He ignored this and carried on forward, allowing the man behind him to overtake. "Follow me," he said, as if that hadn't been obvious. The two of them continued, following the back wall until they came to some tacky poster of a rocket ship. Subtle.

The man struck the image, resulting in a sharp click that was not the sound of drywall. A section of the brick beside it slid back, then away, revealing an unlit staircase behind. Blue didn't have to be told that was where they were heading.

Footsteps echoed around the stairwell, giving the sense that for more than just two people were descending. Electric light was visible at the bottom of the stairs, but for Blue each step forward was another into the dark.

Eventually, the stairway ended, opening into what Blue could only describe as a kitchen. There wasn't a specific word—that he knew at least—meaning 'kitchen, but a really really bad one'. Crowds dressed in dark uniform milled around the cement floor, most carrying various grease soaked food items. Rattatta—and even one or two Raticate—scavenged on the ground, snatching up anything that dropped. Despite the lack of heating, Blue's shiver came from another place. He had a feeling they'd be exactly as enthusiastic hopping on any unsuspecting recruits.

"This way," the man said, pushing Blue in the direction of an equally cement wall. He overtook him and pushed a button on the side of it. "New recruit," he said, into it. Then to Blue, "You'll be taking it from here kid." With a laugh that sounded anything but encouraging, he melted into the crowds.

It was only a couple of seconds before the door opened, but it felt like longer. Blue straightened his posture, extracted his hands from his pockets, and all the other things he never did that schoolteachers insisted looked smart.

"Come in," another man said. This guy wasn't quite as tall as the other had been. He wore better clothes too. His suit at least must have been expensive. And then there was all the money spent on gel to slick back his teal hair. He couldn't have been anything but a high-up.

Blue followed him into the room, ignoring the sweat that threatened to bead on his forehead at the click of the door swinging shut behind. He had to make an impression. He couldn't seem even a little afraid.

"So," the man said. "Who are you then? Street urchin? Perhaps you've run away from home. By the state of your clothes I'd have to say you've not been there in a while. Of course, that's assuming you even have one. Many homeless kids drift in here. They're always the most… grateful for our help."

"Yeah," Blue said. "That's me. My parents are dead." It wasn't a lie. Not that he would have felt bad lying to this guy. Team Rocket was dangerous. And this guy had something about him that suggested he was even more so. An air of power. Blue wanted that, and the people with it weren't going to easily relinquish. Blue knew he was playing with fire, and he didn't intend to let it burn back to Pallet Town.

"Very good." The man sat on a fine, cushioned chair and flicked on a computer. "I'm sure you'll fit right in. Do you have a name?"

Yes. But Blue wasn't likely to give them it. "Do I have to."

"Of course not. It just allows for easier filing. I'll simply assign you a number instead. Let me see…" He clicked a few buttons, presumably skimming to the bottom of whatever database held his underlings. "996. Remember it."

"I will, sir." The mark of respect wasn't easy for Blue to say. Not to an administrator of Team Rocket. He hoped that wasn't too obvious.

The man met his eyes. "Archer. Just call me Archer."

* * *

Blue's training began at 6am the next morning. The old clock hung above the kitchen made sure he knew that. It's ringing reverberated through the entire base. Blue was surprised people couldn't hear it on the surface.

He'd been given directions to the training facilities the night before, so it only took a couple minutes of wandering through corridors that definitely lay below room temperature to find it. Archer had assigned him to the battle arena. Apparently most of their recruits didn't have their own Pokémon.

The 'facilities' were about what Blue had predicted. Before the corridor even opened up into the vast hall, he was greeted by the mingling crashings, thwackings, gruntings and burstings of a dozen battles raging at once—and unrestricted due to the room's lack of a door. Archer had not supplied him with ear protection, but Blue had the feeling that of anything that could be damaged today, his hearing was at rather low risk.

One arena was visible before Blue entered. A rather simple set of chipped white lines painted in a simple, somewhat straight rectangle. It's two occupants fought a heated battle, Growlithe against Ekans, neither trainer relenting despite the injuries their Pokémon were sustaining. A Poison Fang bit into the Growlithe's hind leg and it reeled to the dirt, but it's trainer simply demanded another attack. Blue shifted his gaze to the damp ceiling. One of them would have the sense to call it off soon, right? That idle hope was the only thing keeping the sick feeling in his stomach from growing.

Unfortunately, as Blue tore his eyes away they landed on the other arenas. These held more than just Pokémon battles. Some consisted of basic fistfights. Some people went toe-to-toe with Hitmonchan and Machoke. Some even delved into armed combat, mostly regarding the use of electrified bats. A couple of referees stood at the sides, presumably to make sure nobody died, but injuries seemed all too acceptable.

Blue made a silent promise that he would never end up there. He was here to make Cubone—and maybe the purple blob too—stronger. He wasn't like these people. He would not be like these people. He'd fight Pokémon against Pokémon. Nothing further.

"Hey," the Ekans trainer said.

Blue eyed him. Wary, but determined not to let that show on his face. "Hey."

"Looking for a battle?" Apparently he'd come out on top. Still. Would Ekans be in any shape to fight?

"Yeah. But are you sure you wanna battle me?" Blue didn't break eye contact. This guy was twice his age, so he had to make sure the guy knew he wasn't intimidated. Blue didn't want to be underestimated.

"I am," he said. "I'm meaning to continue my win streak. You look like the perfect kid for the job."

Blue threw his Poké Ball into the arena. The man hadn't even recalled Ekans since the last battle. It simply sat coiled at the opposite end, blank eyes fixed on its next opponent. It was obviously exhausted. What was this guy thinking?

Cubone, however, was wide awake. It seemed to realise where they were right away. Blue ignored the glare it was giving him, ordering it to face instead the Ekans it would be battling.

The man took his place behind it. "Ekans," he said, "start this with Acid." The Pokémon reared up, spitting a shower of purple gunk at Cubone.

It didn't even try to defend itself. It's eyes widened beneath its mask and it scrambled back, avoiding a little of the attack, but still being coated with stinging liquid from the waist down. This didn't do anything for its fright. It cried out.

"No!" Blue yelled, "Fight back with Bone Club!"

Cubone just kept running. It tripped, fell onto its back, and gave Blue a terrified glance before fixing its eyes once more on the snake Pokémon. Cubone wanted out of this battle, that much was obvious. What was wrong with it?

Ekans' fangs closed around Cubone and it screamed again, flailing its club wildly. Blue clenched a fist. This wasn't good. "Headbutt!"

Cubone instead lashed out with its club, managing to free itself from Ekans' grasp. Obviously it wasn't gonna follow Blue's orders. Probably still mad at him. He'd deal with that later, right now at least it was standing.

Cubone struck with Bone Club again, knocking Ekans to the ground. Now that it's opponent had begun to defend itself, it didn't seem so confident. The wear from its bout with Growlithe and who knows how many other Pokémon before it was catching up.

"Wait!" It's trainer shouted. Maybe he finally realised what a bad decision this challenge was. Blue grinned. Maybe he wasn't so tough after all. "I concede! Call off your Pokémon!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely. Cubone? Stop attacking."

Cubone took a few steps back from Ekans. It was strange. Despite how easily it fought the thing off, there was still genuine fear in its eyes. Blue crouched to its eye level. "Well, Cubone, looks like we—"

"Poison Fang!"

Ekans leapt forward, pinning Cubone to the ground and sinking pointed teeth into it.

"No! Cubone!" Blue shot to his feet again. "Uh- Headbutt? B-Bone Club!"

Cubone didn't do either of those things. It's bone clattered to the ground. "No!" Blue said. Various emotions were broiling in his mind. A lot of anger. Confusion too. "That— That's not fair! I won!"

"Fair?" The man said. "You came here expecting fair? You're even stupider than you look. Ekans? Bite."

The snake Pokémon lunged. But it's attack just struck ground. Blue had fumbled for his Poké Ball and recalled Cubone just as Ekans' head sprung towards it.

He spun away, ignoring the laughter of his opponent.

Almost every one of the other arenas were full. Everyone else must have know to come early and avoid the crowds. In fact, the only free space was at the end of the room. A single arena stood half abandoned. Not even the referees hovered. Just a kid with dull red hair grazing his shoulders. It seemed like people were avoiding him.

Blue stepped over, taking his place on the other side of the arena. "You here to battle?" he said.

The kid looked up, apparently noticing Blue for the first time. His eyes had the same fiery tone as his hair, and not just in colour. "Who are you?" he asked.

Blue took his other Poké Ball from his pocket. "Does it matter?"

The kid stepped forward, into the arena. He stopped just short of Blue. "Yeah. 'Cause you're new. If you weren't, you wouldn't be so confident."

Blue threw out a laugh that he didn't really feel like giving. "Really? Who are you then?"

"Silver. Son of Giovanni."

He had clearly expected that to impress Blue. "Who?"

"Team Rocket's boss." Ah. Silver must have noticed the slight break in Blue's composure. "Yeah. The people here don't pick many fights with me. They're too weak. And scared. I don't think you're any different."

Blue's grip tightened on his Poké Ball. "Oh yeah? Send out your Pokémon and then you'll see just how weak I am."

"Pokémon?" Silver pushed away a few stray strands of hair. "You think I need to rely on a bunch of pets to fight for me? If you're really tough, you'll face me on your own."

Blue didn't exactly want to do that. But something about this kid made him angry. And if he really was who he said he was, if Blue could prove himself better than him, he might be able to command some respect. "All right then" Blue said. "Let's go."

"You go first." Silver was smiling now, but it was about as warm as the bases corridor. Still. Blue wasn't going to pass up that opportunity.

He dashed forward, meaning to grab Silver and pull him to the ground before he had a chance to react. That wasn't what happened. Silver gave a swift jab that winded Blue as soon as he got close. He felt himself tumbling to the floor, and attempted to latch onto Silver's shoulders, but he was thrown off.

Blue scrambled for a second or two, before finally gaining his footing. "Want to try again?" Silver asked. Blue didn't give an answer. He just ran forward, this time swinging a fist toward his face. Silver caught it. Then he kicked Blue's legs out from under him, relegating him to the ground once again. Blue grabbed at Silver's leg, until the other one kicked him over onto his back. "You know?" he said. "That's even worse than I had expected."

Blue's pride hurt more than his leg did. He tried to rise, but Silver pinned him down. "You trainers think you're so tough. All cause you're ordering your little pets around. When the fight comes to you, you're weak."

Blue reached into his pocket, slowly hoping Silver wouldn't notice. "My Pokémon are more than pets," he said. Then he activated the ball. "Struggle!" The purple Pokémon emerged, striking Silver in the chest.

He reeled back allowing Blue to get up.

"You call me weak cause I can't knock you to the ground? But I'm in command of something who can. I'd call that strength."

Silver traced over what was quickly becoming a new bruise. "That's…"

"Cheating? Grow up. No one plays by the rules in real life. Pokémon can attack people all they want, and no one cares how fair it is. With Pokémon, I'm stronger than you are."

The anger on Silver's face was incredibly gratifying. His disgruntled, "Humph," even more so. The kid turned and walked out of the training room.

"Nice move," Blue turned. It was the Growlithe kid. Either they had pretty good healing facilities here, or she had another Pokémon. "But how will that thing hold up in a real battle?"

Blue smirked. His next steps to strength were turning into leaps. "You wanna find out?"


End file.
